Tim Cook Biography

Tim Cook is an American business executive who succeeded Steve Jobs as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. Check out this biography to know more about his childhood, life, achievements, works and timeline.

Tim Cook is an American business executive who succeeded Steve Jobs as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. in 2011. Even before officially assuming the title of the CEO, he had served as the acting CEO during Jobs’ long medical leave in the months preceding the former Apple CEO’s death. From the time he joined Apple as a Senior Vice President (SVP) of Worldwide Operations in 1998, Tim Cook has been instrumental in leading the company from one success to another. In fact Apple was going through a tough phase when Cook accepted to join it and his role in resurrecting the company has been immense. Born into a middle class home in a small town, Cook is a self-made man. A good student in school, he went on to study industrial engineering from the Auburn University in Alabama before completing his MBA degree from the Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He entered the field of computer technology and started working for IBM. Brilliant, creative and blessed with a steely determination, Cook rose up the ranks within the company rapidly. Eventually he moved on to work for Compaq. But his stint at Compaq was short-lived as he soon left to join the then-struggling Apple and changed the company’s fortunes within years of joining.

Timothy Donald "Tim" Cook was born on November 1, 1960, in the small town of Robertsdale, Alabama, United States. His father, Donald, was a shipyard worker while his mother Geraldine worked at a pharmacy. He has two brothers.

He went to the Robertsdale High School following which he enrolled at the Auburn University from where he earned a B.S. degree in industrial engineering in 1982.

Tim Cook found a job with the computer manufacturer International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) shortly after his graduation. He had always wanted to work in the field of computer technology and this job was dream come true for the young graduate.

Over the course of his career he also furthered his education from the Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1988. A brilliant student, he earned the title of Fuqua Scholar, an honor given to those students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.

He rose through the ranks steadily at IBM and by 1994 had become the company’s North American Fulfillment director, managing manufacturing and distribution functions for IBM's Personal Computer Company in both North and Latin America.

After a 12-year long career at IBM, Cook moved to Intelligent Electronics as a chief operating officer (Reseller Division) in 1994. He worked there for three years before accepting an appointment at Compaq Computer Corporation as vice president of corporate materials.

He had been at Compaq for just a few months when he was called for an interview by Apple Inc’s CEO, Steve Jobs. Apple was struggling in the late 1990s and Cook’s friends and well-wishers advised him against accepting the appointment. However, Cook was highly impressed by Steve Jobs’ vision for the company and decided to join Apple.

Cook joined Apple in March 1998 as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Worldwide Operations. He had taken a very risky decision as Apple’s profits were on a decline and the company’s future looked uncertain at the best. However, Cook had an intuitive feeling that he had taken the right decision.

He was made responsible for managing worldwide sales and operations including the service and support. In this position he was instrumental in developing supplier relationship strategies and also led the company’s Macintosh division. Within a year of his joining, Apple started reporting profits after having suffered heavy losses up until the past year.

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Cook was keen on streamlining the company’s supply chain and operations. He closed the company’s factories and warehouses, replacing them with contract manufacturers. He implemented steps to cut costs, which combined with Apple’s marketing innovations helped to turnaround the fortunes of the company.

Apple launched new products such as the iMac, the iPod, and the iPhone. By this time, the company had regained its corporate image and was in a position to charge high prices for its products while managing to minimize the costs of production.

Cook was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) in January 2007. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs had been diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and he took a leave of absence to manage his health in 2009. During this period, Cook served as the acting CEO.

Jobs’ health deteriorated over the following months and he was forced to take frequent leaves of absence. Cook was responsible for most of Apple's day-to-day operations in Jobs’ absence.

Unable to cope with the pressures of being the CEO anymore, Jobs resigned as CEO and became chairman of the board in August 2011. Tim Cook was named CEO of Apple Inc. on August 24, 2011.

Under Cook’s leadership Apple continues to flourish. In May 2014, the company announced its acquisition of Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 billion—Apple’s biggest acquisition to date.

Tim Cook joined Apple Inc at a time when the company was struggling to survive. Within a year of his joining the company started registering profits and over the years became one of the world’s largest information technology companies by revenue. Cook, along with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, is credited to have played a major role in the company’s resurrection.

Tim Cook donated $50 million to Stanford hospitals, near Apple’s Silicon Valley headquarters, including $25m for a new children’s hospital in 2012. He also made a $50 million donation to the charity Product Red which works to combat health issues like AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

In March 2015, he announced that he planned to donate his entire fortune to charity and stated that he would develop a systematic approach to philanthropy.